On Tuesday, September 16, 2025, the Tallahassee Democrat reported that Assistant State Attorney Sarah Kathryn Dugan, who recently played a key role in the Donna Adelson murder trial, has been nominated as a finalist for two judicial positions in Florida’s Big Bend. The 2nd Circuit Judicial Nominating Commission (JNC), led by chair William N. Spicola, announced Dugan’s nomination for both circuit judge and Leon County judge positions.

Dugan gained prominence for her work, alongside Georgia Cappleman, in the prosecution of Donna Adelson, who was convicted on September 4, 2025, for the first-degree murder, conspiracy, and solicitation in the 2014 death of Dan Markel, a Florida State University law professor.

Governor Ron DeSantis is now tasked with selecting individuals to fill one circuit judge and one Leon County judge position within the next 60 days. DeSantis has stated that he typically chooses candidates who align with his originalist, textualist judicial philosophy.

Besides Dugan, the other finalists for the circuit judge seat include Chris Bufano, the current county judge for Liberty County; Jeremiah Hawkes, an associate at Bass Sox Mercer; Stefanie Newlin, a county judge for Leon County; Carlos Rey, general counsel for the Florida Senate, who was also nominated twice; and Steven Sellers, an attorney with O’Steen & O’Steen.

The other finalists for the county judge seat are Robert G. Churchill Jr., founder of Churchill Law Group; C. Ian Garland, a lawyer in the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit of the Florida Attorney General’s Office; Kaitlin Holmes, general counsel for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement; and Michael Ruff, senior attorney for the Florida Department of Financial Services.

The judicial openings arose due to Jason Jones’s elevation to the circuit bench and the creation of a new circuit judgeship. The circuit covers Franklin, Gadsden, Jefferson, Leon, Liberty, and Wakulla counties.

Circuit judges preside over felony and juvenile cases and civil lawsuits involving amounts of $50,000 or more. County judges handle traffic offenses, landlord-tenant disputes, misdemeanors, and small claims cases.

Appointed judges must run as no-party candidates in the subsequent general election and then serve six-year terms. The most recent data indicate that county judges were paid $186,034 annually, while circuit judges earned $196,898 per year.

 

 

Source: Tallahassee Democrat